How To Choose A Sink Material For Your Remodel

There are all kinds of sink materials available on the market, and no one is perfect for every situation. You must determine your needs and choose what works best for you.

Here’s an overview of many of the different sink materials you can choose for your kitchen remodel or bathroom remodel. Try to figure out which one is the best bathroom sink material or kitchen sink material for you.

Ceramic And Porcelain: The Jack-Of-All-Trades

Ceramic is easy to maintain and waterproof. It has limited styles but still looks great in kitchens and bathrooms. Its less-durable cousin, porcelain, is still relatively durable, although it chips and can stain. Porcelain is often considered the best bathroom sink material, and can cost anywhere from $100-$2000.

The phrase vitreous china is often used interchangeably with porcelain, but technically it’s a glaze that goes over ceramic. It’s cheaper than porcelain, at $75-$750. But chips show easier on it.

Fireclay is a similar material. It often includes an alkali- and acid-resistant glaze that doesn’t stain. Fireclay is made of recyclable material. It costs $450-$1000 and is more common in kitchens than bathrooms.

Metal: The Strong And Practical

When choosing a metal, you’ll either get one with enamel on top or plain stainless steel.

The cast iron in enameled cast iron is very durable, but the enamel isn’t. Enamel gets chipped under stress, which can cause rust. Enameled steel is more durable than iron, taking heat, scratches, and stains better. Iron costs $100-$200, while steel can be cheaper at $40-$600.

Plain stainless steel, on the other hand, is recyclable and antibacterial. It’s durable, stain-resistant, rust-resistant, and generally easy to maintain. But it can be scratched and take on water stains. Contact with iron cookware for a long time can cause rust, and hot water loses heat fast. It costs $100-$800. It’s known for being noisy, but some come with sound-dampening pads.

Metal is usually used in kitchens, as it’s not the best bathroom sink material for your remodel project. That said, some bathrooms have stainless steel. It’s not known for being elegant, but it is practical.

Stone: The Demanding Dazzler

The most significant benefit of natural stone is its heat resistance. The biggest drawback is maintenance. You must seal the stone yearly and clean it with a stone cleaner. Never let it contact acidic substances. It can cost $300-$1000, but it does make for a beautiful bathroom or kitchen.

Granite is more affordable but prone to heat. It’s relatively durable and makes a beautiful kitchen, but you must reseal it too. It’s not the best bathroom sink material either due to this upkeep.

Quartz is pricier, at $800-$1200. It’s more durable and stain resistant, cracking less in general. It’s also bacteria resistant. The downside is that any scuffs it takes are noticeable. It’s found more often in kitchens.

Wood: The Natural Beauty

Wood can be great or terrible, depending on how you treat it. You must exclusively clean wood with non-scouring products. It’s water-resistant, and its durability can be fantastic if it’s properly maintained – but if it isn’t, things can get bad fast. It’s made of recycled material and darkens over time, so don’t expect the color to be final.

An alternative to traditional wood is bamboo. Bamboo grows fast, so it’s sustainably produced. It’s the best bathroom sink material if you want something sustainable and know how to take care of it. That said, it’s similarly high maintenance.

Resin: The Specialist

Resin is strong in many ways, being stain-resistant and able to buff out stains easily. But it gets destroyed by petroleum and must be maintained. It’s the best bathroom sink material if you need something durable against hits and cuts, but the worst if you’re going to put heat on it.

Acrylic resin is a common type and costs around $200 but doesn’t last as long as porcelain.

Solid surface, which is also resin, comes in many different styles. The downside is that it’s softer than ceramic, chips under stress, and scratches easily. It can range from $150-$500.

Composites of resin and stone are similar to marble but are prone to scratches and stains. They cost $250-$500 and must be maintained daily.

Copper: The Rustic Stunner

All varieties of copper are hard to clean, but they are rust-resistant. They need regular wax treatment, dent easily, and are prone to stains and water stains. Copper costs around $100-$500. Both copper and brass are recyclable. Copper is in kitchens more than in bathrooms.

Bronze, which is a copper alloy, is antimicrobial. But it can also be hard to clean. It’s high-maintenance and expensive. Even toothpaste can stain these sinks, so it’s far from the best bathroom sink material for your home remodel.

Glass: The Fragile Beauty

Glass is mostly just known for its beauty more than anything else. One practical upside is its heat resistance, but it’s also markedly fragile. It is lower maintenance than other types of sinks, but in general, you get a glass sink to make a beautiful bathroom. 

For elegance alone, it’s probably the best bathroom sink material, but if you have rowdy kids, it’s a bad idea.

Concrete: The Stable Stoic

Concrete is impact resistant and can come in many different styles. The downside is that it’s porous and must get resealed regularly to prevent stains, so it’s not the best bathroom sink material if you don’t want to maintain it. Concrete sinks usually cost around $350.

FAQs

What’s the best material for bathroom sinks?

Porcelain is probably the best bathroom sink material, as it’s durable and affordable.

What are common bathroom sink materials?

Bathroom sinks are usually porcelain and ceramic. But they can also be made of stone, copper, and glass.

What are the bathroom sink materials pros and cons?

Ceramic is strong, but it can chip. Stainless steel is durable but not pretty. Meanwhile, stone, glass, copper, and wood are pretty but not durable.

What’s the best sink material for hard water?

Composite sinks are the most resistant to hard water stains.

What are the worst kitchen sink materials?

“Worst” is relative and depends on what you want out of your sink. That said, stone and wood are difficult to maintain and often break down in kitchens.

Conclusion

The sink material you end up going with depends on what you want out of your sink and where your sink gets placed. You have many different options here, and you can look at the pros and cons of each material. None are perfect, but each has advantages you might want to consider.